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End Drug Shortages Alliance Announces 2026 Board Leadership and Appointments Wilmington, Del. – January 22, 2026 – The End Drug Shortages Alliance (EDSA) today announced its 2026 Board leadership, naming Mike Wascovich of Ascension as Board Chair and Jennifer Bair of Prisma Health as Chair-Elect. The organization also announced the appointment of Allan Coukell, BSc (Pharmacy) of Civica Rx and Mark Spiecker of STAQ Pharma to its Board of Directors, strengthening EDSA’s leadership as it advances solutions to prevent and mitigate drug shortages nationwide. EDSA brings together healthcare providers, manufacturers, distributors, group purchasing organizations, industry leaders, and patient advocates to address the root causes of drug shortages and build a more resilient, transparent pharmaceutical supply chain. The 2026 Board reflects a continued emphasis on aligning health system leadership, policy expertise, and manufacturing accountability to drive long-term change. Mike Wascovich is the Vice President, Medication Management and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Ascension, where he leads enterprise pharmacy strategy, operations, medication safety, and quality across 15 states and the District of Columbia. Ascension’s network encompasses approximately 97,000 associates, 23,100 aligned providers, 91 wholly owned or consolidated hospitals, and ownership interests in 29 additional hospitals through partnerships. As Board Chair, Wascovich brings extensive leadership experience at one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems. Jennifer Bair, PharmD, is the Vice President of Pharmacy Services and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Prisma Health. Since 2022, she has overseen systemwide pharmacy operations across 19 acute care and specialty facilities, with a focus on coordination, efficiency, and expanding ambulatory services to improve patient outcomes. “Ending drug shortages requires collaboration across policy, manufacturing, and healthcare delivery,” said April Giles, Executive Director of EDSA. “With Mike Wascovich and Jennifer Bair guiding the Board, and the addition of Allan Coukell and Mark Spiecker, EDSA is well-positioned to accelerate real-world, patient-centered solutions.” New Board Members Add Policy and Manufacturing Expertise EDSA appointed two new Board Members whose experience strengthens the organization’s work across policy and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Allan Coukell, BSc (Pharmacy), is the Chief Government Affairs and Public Policy Officer at Civica Inc. (Civica Rx), a non-profit generic drug manufacturer created by U.S. health systems to address drug shortages, where he leads policy efforts focused on preventing drug shortages and improving access to affordable medicines. A former oncology pharmacist, journalist, and Senior Director of Health Programs at The Pew Charitable Trusts, Coukell has been involved with EDSA since 2022. Mark Spiecker is the President of STAQ Pharma, a 503B outsourcing facility that manufactures sterile injectable medications for hospitals nationwide and has been nationally recognized for addressing critical drug shortages, including those affecting pediatric patients. Spiecker has been involved with EDSA since its founding and has served in multiple leadership roles, including co-founding the 503B Harmonization Task Group and the organization’s Membership Task Force. As part of this transition, EDSA extends its appreciation to the Board Members rotating off the Board of Directors for their leadership and service: Faiez Usman (Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs), Lindsey Thomas (Fresenius Kabi), and Rafael Saenz (American Pharmacists Association). EDSA’s 2025 Annual Report documents meaningful gains in transparency, cross-sector coordination, and implementation of solutions that improve the availability of essential medications. Building on this progress, the 2026 Board leadership strengthens EDSA’s ability to scale impact, protect patient access, and address drug shortages at their root. About End Drug Shortages Alliance The End Drug Shortages Alliance (EDSA) is a collaboration of healthcare industry stakeholders, including healthcare providers, group purchasing organizations, manufacturers, distributors and other industry thought leaders dedicated to solving the pharmaceutical supply challenges that disrupt access to essential medications in the U.S. We prioritize initiatives focused on transparency, quality, redundancy and production of additional supply to achieve undisrupted access to essential medications for healthcare providers and patients.
End Drug Shortages Alliance Announces 2026 Board Leadership and Appointments
Wilmington, Del. – January 22, 2026 – The End Drug Shortages Alliance (EDSA) today announced its 2026 Board leadership, naming Mike Wascovich of Ascension as Board Chair and Jennifer Bair of Prisma Health as Chair-Elect. The organization also announced the appointment of Allan Coukell, BSc (Pharmacy) of Civica Rx and Mark Spiecker of STAQ Pharma to its Board of Directors, strengthening EDSA’s leadership as it advances solutions to prevent and mitigate drug shortages nationwide.
EDSA brings together healthcare providers, manufacturers, distributors, group purchasing organizations, industry leaders, and patient advocates to address the root causes of drug shortages and build a more resilient, transparent pharmaceutical supply chain. The 2026 Board reflects a continued emphasis on aligning health system leadership, policy expertise, and manufacturing accountability to drive long-term change.
Mike Wascovich is the Vice President, Medication Management and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Ascension, where he leads enterprise pharmacy strategy, operations, medication safety, and quality across 15 states and the District of Columbia. Ascension’s network encompasses approximately 97,000 associates, 23,100 aligned providers, 91 wholly owned or consolidated hospitals, and ownership interests in 29 additional hospitals through partnerships. As Board Chair, Wascovich brings extensive leadership experience at one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems.
Jennifer Bair, PharmD, is the Vice President of Pharmacy Services and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Prisma Health. Since 2022, she has overseen systemwide pharmacy operations across 19 acute care and specialty facilities, with a focus on coordination, efficiency, and expanding ambulatory services to improve patient outcomes.
“Ending drug shortages requires collaboration across policy, manufacturing, and healthcare delivery,” said April Giles, Executive Director of EDSA. “With Mike Wascovich and Jennifer Bair guiding the Board, and the addition of Allan Coukell and Mark Spiecker, EDSA is well-positioned to accelerate real-world, patient-centered solutions.”
New Board Members Add Policy and Manufacturing Expertise
EDSA appointed two new Board Members whose experience strengthens the organization’s work across policy and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Allan Coukell, BSc (Pharmacy), is the Chief Government Affairs and Public Policy Officer at Civica Inc. (Civica Rx), a non-profit generic drug manufacturer created by U.S. health systems to address drug shortages, where he leads policy efforts focused on preventing drug shortages and improving access to affordable medicines. A former oncology pharmacist, journalist, and Senior Director of Health Programs at The Pew Charitable Trusts, Coukell has been involved with EDSA since 2022.
Mark Spiecker is the President of STAQ Pharma, a 503B outsourcing facility that manufactures sterile injectable medications for hospitals nationwide and has been nationally recognized for addressing critical drug shortages, including those affecting pediatric patients. Spiecker has been involved with EDSA since its founding and has served in multiple leadership roles, including co-founding the 503B Harmonization Task Group and the organization’s Membership Task Force.
As part of this transition, EDSA extends its appreciation to the Board Members rotating off the Board of Directors for their leadership and service: Faiez Usman (Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs), Lindsey Thomas (Fresenius Kabi), and Rafael Saenz (American Pharmacists Association).
EDSA’s 2025 Annual Report documents meaningful gains in transparency, cross-sector coordination, and implementation of solutions that improve the availability of essential medications. Building on this progress, the 2026 Board leadership strengthens EDSA’s ability to scale impact, protect patient access, and address drug shortages at their root.
About End Drug Shortages Alliance
The End Drug Shortages Alliance (EDSA) is a collaboration of healthcare industry stakeholders, including healthcare providers, group purchasing organizations, manufacturers, distributors and other industry thought leaders dedicated to solving the pharmaceutical supply challenges that disrupt access to essential medications in the U.S. We prioritize initiatives focused on transparency, quality, redundancy and production of additional supply to achieve undisrupted access to essential medications for healthcare providers and patients.